Deep River Promise (Alaska Homecoming #2) - Jackie Ashenden Page 0,36

It was still warm from the fryer and covered in sugar. “You get free coffee and donuts if you take the hot yoga class.”

“Ah, I wondered why April suddenly had a long queue. And no, I didn’t mention it. I was happy to pay anyway.”

“Is this you being a gentleman?”

Damon’s blue gaze sparked. “Careful, Ms. Mayor. I could start to like you if you keep that up.”

“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” She bit into the donut, a reckless feeling spiraling through her, probably fueled by the aftereffects of yoga. Definitely nothing to do with the hot look in his eyes.

You need to be careful.

Oh, she was being careful. Nothing would happen. But what was wrong with enjoying this reckless, excited feeling? It had been so long since she’d felt it, and he would be leaving soon anyway. So why not enjoy it while she could?

He looked good enough to eat sitting there with his long legs stretched out, the worn blue denim of his jeans pulling across his powerful thighs. The soft, black fabric of his shirt lay open at the neck, exposing the golden skin of his throat, and she could see the beat of his pulse, steady and strong.

It made something ache right down deep inside her.

Damon reached for one of the coffee cups on the desk and pushed it in her direction. “Here. Milk, no sugar. I hope that’s okay. Should have asked April how you liked your coffee. Maybe next time.”

Milk, no sugar was perfect. Just the way she liked it.

“You’re assuming there will be a next time.” She took the cup, the cardboard warm between her hands.

“Good point.” His gaze glinted from beneath his long, dark lashes. “Do you want there to be a next time?”

Oh, he’d be dangerous to her if she let him. So very dangerous. But then she’d once loved living dangerously. Before a succession of men had ground her down. Her father. Cal. Aiden…

A sliver of cold cut through the heat inside her and she had to take a sip of her coffee to warm herself up.

Perhaps it would be best if she stopped playing and nipped this in the bud. Before it got out of hand.

“Hey, I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but you probably shouldn’t touch me in public the way you did at the community center.” She hoped she sounded measured. “People will talk.”

He picked up the other cup, holding it in his big, capable hands. The look on his handsome face was enigmatic. “How do you know I didn’t mean anything by it?”

Ah.

Astrid shifted. She knew she should look away from him, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it. “Why did you do it, then?”

“You had a curl stuck to your cheek.” He smiled again, that slightly rueful, boyish one that she found so utterly irresistible. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“That smile works on everyone you turn it on, doesn’t it?”

“Not everyone. Though I’m kinda hoping it works on you.”

There was no mistaking the blue fire in the depths of his eyes. Heat spread through her, the breath catching in her throat as the air between them became dense and thick, like the moment just before a summer storm breaks.

“What do you want, Damon?” she asked, her voice slightly husky. “We’re here to talk about these tourism ideas. Or at least that’s what you told me.”

Chapter 7

Damon had told her that, it was true. It was only that it was difficult to think of tourism or money when she was in the room. When she was wearing that silky blue T-shirt that turned her gray eyes luminous and made her skin look like fresh cream. When her hair glimmered like spun gold in the light coming from the window behind her.

When she flirted with him a bit hesitantly yet with the sort of cool challenge that he found the most exciting. The most fascinating.

He liked melting snow queens. He wanted to melt her.

Waking up early this morning, he’d read through the papers he’d taken from Silas’s desk the night before. Then, because he only had a few days after all, he’d gone in search of Astrid ASAP.

Investigations about where she was soon yielded the fact that she took a hot yoga class every morning in the community center.

Intrigued, he’d made a beeline for the center and had watched her come out, her yoga mat tucked under her arm, blond hair sticking to her skin, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes brilliant.